Making a difference

I received confirmation this week of one of the reasons I took this job in September. While I struggled with the decision when it was offered, I was hoping that by taking this job I would be able to do what I love to do most, which is making a positive difference in people's lives. A couple of weeks ago a man came into my office very distraught. His wife had asked him to move out. They had been together for 16 years, since they were teenagers. They have 3 children together. He works 2 jobs to pay the bills. But something happened and she decided she did not want him as her husband any more. He hinted that he had considered the idea of suicide. He and I went to an office where we could have some privacy and he talked for about 45 minutes. I told him a little about the problems Joel and I had so many years ago and how we ended up where we are. I encouraged him to talk to a professional and even got him a phone number of a good clinic. He did call the clinic and they put him in an intense program that lasted a week. He took a leave of absence in order to go through the treatment. He called me on Friday, his last day of the treatment. He said that he believes that God put me in his life to help him through this time. He mentioned that he didn't know if his marriage was going to survive or not, but he was going to be able to deal with whatever he had to with the help of the coping techniques he was learning. He thanked me for taking the time to talk with him. I was so glad that I could help him and that he is willing to do what it takes to get through it.

It's times like this that I am so glad to be doing what I do.